The Hunter's Arrow
by Rhiannon A. Christy
Summary: One never plans on inviting Murder to a wedding, but when Hatred and Revenge are guests it should be expected. As should a good Mystery. AH AU Sam/Bella.
1. Preface: The Invitation

Preface:

* * *

Carlisle and Esme Cullen

Would like to announce the marriage of their son

Edward Mason Cullen

To

Rosalie Hale

The ceremony will be at 3:00 in the afternoon on

February 14, 2005

At the Wolfwood Lodge in Forks Washington.

All those planning to attend should arrive no later than

February 10th.

All accommodations will be paid in full.

* * *

Author's Note: Ok first off, yes this bit is a little short, but I do have the first chapter done and will posting in a moment.

Second: I know a new story, but what can I say, my muse is a busy little thing.


	2. All These People Merely Players

Chapter One: All These People Merely Players:

* * *

The sky was overcast with thick looming gray clouds. They hovered over the Wolfwood Lodge like a sort of warning. Thunder rolled and echoed through the sky, heralding the arrival of the guests for the upcoming wedding of Cullen and Hale.

The gravel made a loud crunch as the first vehicle since that of the couple arrived. It stopped just before the doors of the Lodge, the passengers slipping from the sleek black car fluidly.

The Lodge doors opened as a young man with tousled bronze hair stepped from inside. He stood at the threshold in his perfectly tailored grey suit. He cut a striking figure against the rough logs of the building. His skin was pale, but with that slight pink undertone that kept him from looking sickly. His green eyes glimmered with an unnamed emotion as he gazed on the family that had just exited the car.

"Aw, cousin Aro! I am glad you could make the wedding. Rose is very excited to finally meet you." Aro, a man that cut an even more striking figure than the younger, smiled at his cousin. He took a few steps forward, his dark eyes looking the young man up and down.

"Edward, it has been too long. I wish to congratulate you on finding an appropriate bride." Edward nodded and turned his head towards the others as Aro slipped his hand down the back of an elegant woman.

"I am sure you remember my wife, Sulpicia and my sons Demetri and Felix?" Sulpicia held out her hand, small and wrapped in a white velvet glove, to Edward who didn't hesitate to pull it gently to his mouth. He released it immediately after giving it a small peck.

"Of course. Please, come in. It looks as though it could rain at any moment." Edward took a step to the side and motioned for them to enter. Sulpicia and her sons entered without a word to their cousin, leaving Aro standing outside. Edward tried to relax the set of his jaw, the way Aro was looking at him always made him uneasy.

"I will never understand your father, insisting on residing in this….town. I wish to extend an invitation to you and your bride and I do hope you will seriously consider it. Come and live with us in Italy. There is a rather beautiful house not far from our manor that resides on our land.

"I believe that it would be perfect for you two. It is such a beautiful place for a newly married couple." Aro's smile seemed kind as he gazed upon his younger cousin, but Edward could see a different emotion in his eyes.

"Thank you Aro, but I will have to decline. Rose has found a house just outside of Forks and she has fallen in love with it. Father has already purchased it, just as Esme has been furnishing it. We move in as soon as we return from our honeymoon." It was not hard to hear the edge in Edward's voice, even though he obviously tried to conceal it beneath a kind voice.

Aro took the few remaining steps between them so he stood just in front of him. He lifted his hand and ran it lightly down Edward's cheek, the action making the younger man flinch.

"You look so much like your mother. You have her eyes, they had always been so easy to read. If only you were like her in other ways, she didn't care about what others thought. You could learn a lot from her, she took what she wanted." Edward bit his lip in order to calm himself.

"I am nothing like my mother, Aro. I put value in my family, not lust. Now, come, Rose is waiting and I am sure your wife is wondering where you are."

* * *

"I don't see why any of us should have to go. It is not like we are that close to the Cullens." The soft voice sounded throughout the car, the owner a tall, but slender woman.

"Athenodora, don't be difficult. How close we may or may not be to our cousins does not matter. What does is that we make an appearance, we are their benefactors." Athenodora scoffed at her husband and inspected her immaculately manicured hands.

"You mean Aro is their benefactor, as he is our's. Really you make it sound like you have some sort of control over the Volturi fortune. We are all dependent on him and his whims. Whatever he wants of us we do, unless we want to be cut off. Your brother is a controlling tyrant."

"He is not! Don't speak of Uncle Aro like that!" The small voice of the girl in the seat in front of Athenodora shouted. The young girl looked back at her Aunt with tears in her eyes and red cheeks. Athendodora smirked at the blonde girl, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Uncle? He is not your real uncle, you of all people should know that Jane." The girl's cheeks turned an even darker shade of red as she lowered her head and hid herself in the arms of the young boy beside her. The resemblance between the two unmistakable.

"Jane, you know better than to raise your voice to anyone, let alone your olders." Jane nodded but refused to look at the man beside her.

"Of course Father, I am sorry."

"Don't even bother Marcus, though you may have had the best intentions when you adopted these two, Jane and Alec are not Volturi by blood. They will always be uncivilized to a degree." Marcus sneered and wrapped his arm around his two children.

"You know as well as I do, Caius, that blood means very little in this family. The Volturi name can be given just as well as it can be taken away."

The car came to a stop before any of the passengers could comment.

"Yes, well, that is something I plan on rectifying. For now it seems we have arrived."

* * *

"Why exactly are we here? As far as I know none of us have ever spoken more than three words to the Cullens." Four men stood in the far corner of the drawing room of the lodge. They could not have looked more out of place amongst the other wedding guests had they tried. Where all the others were lithe and pale, elegant statue like people with noses frequently up in the air.

These four men were tall, thick with muscles and powerful arms. Their skin a gleaming russet with oil black hair.

"No, but we are business partners with the Volturi, their cousins. Aro is the one paying for this whole to-do. He was the one that insisted that we attend." The oldest of the four set his glass of scotch down, his voice was harsh as he spoke.

"And of course what Aro wants, Aro gets. Jake you need to stop giving in to whatever that man says. I have been talking to Harry, he knows of a good job in Seattle. You could do well there." Jake shook his head, his voice lowering as though he didn't want anyone actually hearing him.

"Dad, you know I can't just leave the Volturi. I have made certain commitments, I _can't_ break them." Jake looked around him as though to make sure no one had been listening before he stood up straight.

"I still find it strange that we are here." Jake rolled his eyes at his two friends.

* * *

Three sets of feet stopped right in front of the doors to the lodge. Two large and encased in black leather and the other petite and slipped into a pair of sensible black pumps.

"Calm down Bella, everything will be fine." The deep voice of the man to her right echoed around Bella.

"I'm sure it will, I am just not looking forward to actually talking to Edward. Not since…" The dark skinned man that had spoken before wrapped her up in his arms. He rested his cheek on top of her head and allowed her to burrow in his embrace.

"Sam is right, everything will be alright." The three stood there quietly until the doors opened to allow a tall blond man to exit.

"Aw Chief Swan and Inspector Uley, I am delighted that you could make it. And who have we here?" Bella turned in Uley's arms to face the older man.

"Hello Carlisle, I hope you don't mind, but Sam asked me to be his date for the wedding." Carlisle looked taken aback by the presence of the young woman, but quickly composed himself and slid a smile across his face.

"Of course not Bella. I am happy to see that everything is going well for you. It is a shame that things hadn't worked out between you and my son. I would have enjoyed having you as a daughter." Bella gave him a sweet smile as she took Sam's hand and linked her arm with her father's.

"And I am sorry as well, but I guess sometimes things just don't go as planned. If you would excuse us, it is rather cold out here. We shall see you for dinner. Good Day." The three walked inside, none of them seeing the look of contempt on Carlisle's face.

* * *

"Honey, exactly who are all these people? They can't all be your family members." The blonde woman leaned against the chair beside her, her long silver dress draped over the arm and onto Edward's legs.

"Not all of them, no. Aro has taken the liberty of inviting a few of his business partners. As he is the one paying for the wedding I see no reason to object. Don't worry Rose, everything will go smoothly." Rose smiled at him before taking a small sip of her wine. Her eyes lifted and settled on the three people that had just entered.

Two of them she had met before. The third she only knew of.

"Edward, please tell me that you did not invite Isabella Swan." Edward looked offended at the very thought.

"Of course not!" Rose set her wine glass down on the small side table and stood to smooth out her dress.

"Then, pray tell, why did she just walk in here on the arm of Inspector Uley?" Edward flung around in his chair, his eyes catching that of Bella's. The two of them just staring until Bella turned and left arm in arm with Sam Uley.

"Shit!" A small chuckle sounded from Rose.

"Language Edward, we wouldn't want Aro hearing you." Rose's voice was mocking and bitter. The same as the expression on her face.

* * *

Author's Note: Ok, for those getting this update and you know that you never put it on alert. With ff having probs I couldn't add a new story, as I was already planning on deleting "The Entertaining Circumstance Of Deception" I thought to see if I could just switch it over to my new story. Sorry for anyone that had been reading the other one.

Now: This is my first murder mystery, so hopefully I will be able to pull this off.

The idea for this first came when I was watching "Evil Under The Sun" Most of the inspiration for this has been Agatha Christie, mostly Hercule Poirot. I have tried to write this with the feel of those stories, but in my style and my sort of twist.

For anyone that has read anything else of mine, this will not be riddled with angst as most of my others. There will be drama, but there shouldn't be any need for tissues.

I had planned on this being finished before I posted, but I find i write quicker when I do WIPs.

This story is written in third person, though I prefer twific in first, I thought this would be best in third. It is also a Sam/Bella, though the romance is secondary.

Now I know when I read or watch a mystery I love to be able to try and figure out who did it and why. So I do invite any that wish to send me your guesses as you read. Once I have posted the entire story I will announce any and all that got it right.

Make sure to pay attention to everything. Even if you think something is insignificant.

I hope everyone has as much reading this as I have writing it.

As there are so many in this cast I will post a chapter just for the character list with their roles so everyone can keep up with everything.

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._


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